Anti-overflow toilet

ABSTRACT

An anti-overflow toilet includes a jet feed conduit that is positioned opposite to a waste drain outlet. The toilet also includes an overflow conduit having an overflow inlet that is positioned within the jet feed conduit, which delivers flushwater from a tank to a jet outlet port to the toilet bowl. In the event the bowl becomes clogged, excess flushwater within the bowl is routed back through the jet outlet port and into the overflow inlet of the overflow conduit, whereupon the flushwater is routed via the overflow conduit away from the toilet to a suitable drain.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/990,291 filed May 8, 2014, which is incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to an anti-overflow toilet thatprevents flushwater from overflowing out of a toilet bowl. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to an anti-overflow toiletthat utilizes a jet feed conduit to deliver flushwater to evacuate wastefrom the toilet bowl. More particularly, the present invention relatesto an anti-overflow toilet with an overflow conduit having an overflowinlet positioned within the jet feed conduit, such that excessflushwater within the bowl is routed back into the jet feed conduit,into the overflow inlet, and out of the bowl by the overflow conduit.

BACKGROUND

Conventional toilets are configured with a storage tank that collects anamount of flushwater that is supplied from a water main or water supplyline, as needed. Upon the actuation of a lever or other controlmechanism, a valve, such as a flapper valve, is opened and the collectedflushwater is released into a bowl. As a result of this release ofcollected flushwater, solid and/or liquid waste material is evacuatedout of the bowl and through a drain trap and carried away to anappropriate septic or sewage treatment facility.

Many designs have been utilized to accomplish the delivery of theflushwater from the tank into the bowl. For example, one approach offlushwater delivery divides the flushwater into two portions as itenters the bowl via a distributional manifold. In this approach, oneportion of flushwater is routed via a rim conduit to rim ports disposedin a rim section that circumscribes the upper perimeter of the bowl,while the second portion of the flushwater is routed through a jet feedconduit or passage to a jet feed port/hole or siphon jet that ispositioned within the lower section of the toilet bowl. The jet feedconduit is typically positioned so that it substantially opposes a wastedrain outlet into which the solid/liquid waste material exits the bowl;however, it may be located in any desired position. Thus, the flushwaterreceived in the rim conduit cleans the wall of the bowl and is combinedin the bowl with the flushwater delivered by the jet feed conduit. Thiscombined flushwater fills the toilet bowl and enters the waste drainoutlet, which raises the water level in a waste trap with a velocity orrate sufficient to create a siphoning effect in the toilet bowl. Thesiphoning effect draws the flushwater and any solid/liquid wastematerial out of the bowl into the waste drain outlet and through thewaste trap, whereupon it is delivered to a septic or sewer facility.

However, during the use of the toilet, the waste trap or waste drainoutlet may become clogged due to the collection of excess solid wastematerial in the bowl. As a result, when the toilet is flushed, theflushwater that is released into the toilet bowl cannot escape, thuscausing the water level in the bowl to rise and overflow thereover. Suchoverflowing wastewater may cause costly damage to surrounding floors,fixtures, and other items, thus creating an undesired mess to clean andrepair.

To remedy the unwanted overflow of flushwater in a toilet when it isclogged, several attempts in the prior art have been made. One attemptincludes providing a toilet having a secondary drain that is fluidlycoupled to a bowl through a plurality of inlet holes disposed in a backwall of the toilet bowl. The inlet holes are positioned in the toiletbowl above the water line, at a point just beneath the rim of the toiletbowl. The second drain also includes an overflow reservoir that isdisposed in the body of the toilet and that is in fluid communicationwith the inlet holes. The bottom floor of the reservoir angles downwardand away from the inlet holes and terminates at an outlet hole that islocated at the lowest point of the reservoir. An overflow drain tube isin fluid communication with the reservoir, which also includes a trap,so as to carry any overflow water that enters the inlet holes away fromthe toilet to a secondary discharge port.

Still another attempt to prevent the overflow of a clogged toiletutilizes a gutter that extends about the periphery of a toilet bowl justunder a flush-water channel that delivers flush-water to openingsdistributed in the rim of the bowl. The gutter includes a narrow accesspassage or mouth that that may be open throughout its length, or may beformed as a wall having apertures that are dimensioned to only permitliquid to pass therethrough. An overflow drain conduit is coupled to thegutter, which also includes a trap, to carry the overflow water thatenters the mouth of the gutter away from the toilet to prevent theoverflow of the toilet bowl with flushwater.

While such prior art toilet designs provide various overflow outletconfigurations to allow the evacuation of excess flushwater from thebowl when the waste drain outlet becomes clogged, such designs sufferfrom a serious drawback. Specifically, such toilet designs aresusceptible to becoming clogged by solid waste carried in the bowl thatis moved into the overflow outlets, thereby clogging them, as the levelof flushwater rises during an overflow event, thus rendering theoverflow features of the toilet useless.

Therefore, there is a need for an anti-overflow toilet that utilizes anoverflow conduit that has an overflow inlet positioned in a jet feedconduit that supplies flushwater to a toilet bowl. In addition, there isa need for an anti-overflow toilet in which an overflow inlet of anoverflow conduit is positioned within the jet feed conduit, making theoverflow inlet resistant to clogging from solid waste material that mayaccumulate in the bowl.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the foregoing, it is a first aspect of the present inventionto provide an anti-overflow toilet having a tank adapted to receiveflushwater from a water source; a bowl in fluid communication with adistribution manifold, the distribution manifold configured to receivethe flushwater from the tank; a valve to selectively control the flow offlushwater from the tank into the distribution manifold; a jet feedconduit in fluid communication with the distribution manifold, the jetfeed conduit having a jet outlet port disposed in the bowl to deliverflushwater thereto; a waste drain outlet disposed in the bowl to removethe flushwater from the bowl; and an overflow conduit having an overflowinlet and an overflow outlet, the overflow inlet disposed in the jetfeed conduit; wherein when the waste drain outlet is blocked, excessflushwater in the bowl is routed through the jet feed conduit, into theoverflow inlet, and out of the overflow outlet.

In another aspect the present invention provides an anti-overflowtoilet, wherein the overflow conduit has an angled joint disposedbetween the overflow inlet and the overflow outlet.

In another aspect the present invention provides an anti-overflowtoilet, wherein the angled joint separates the overflow conduit into afirst section and a second section, such that the first section extendsfrom the overflow inlet to the joint, and the second section extendsfrom the joint to the overflow outlet, wherein the first section extendsfrom the overflow inlet to the joint at a substantially right angle, andthe second section extends from the overflow inlet to the joint at anangle.

In another aspect the present invention provides an anti-overflowtoilet, wherein the first section and the second section are separatedfrom each other at the angled joint by an acute angle.

In another aspect the present invention provides an anti-overflowtoilet, wherein the waste drain outlet further comprises a waste trap.

In another aspect the present invention provides an anti-overflowtoilet, wherein the overflow outlet is integral with the waste trap.

In another aspect the present invention provides an anti-overflowtoilet, wherein the overflow conduit is integral with the bowl.

In another aspect the present invention provides an anti-overflow toiletfurther comprising a rim conduit that at least partially circumscribesthe bowl, the rim conduit in fluid communication with the distributionmanifold, so as to deliver flushwater to the bowl through at least onerim port disposed in the bowl.

In another aspect the present invention provides an anti-overflowtoilet, wherein the cross-sectional dimension of the jet outlet port issmaller than the cross-sectional dimension of the waste drain outlet.

In another aspect the present invention provides an anti-overflowtoilet, wherein the jet feed conduit extends from the distributionmanifold at an incline, such that the overflow inlet is positionedhigher than the jet outlet port.

In another aspect the present invention provides an anti-overflowtoilet, wherein the cross-sectional dimension of the jet feed conduit issmaller than the cross-sectional dimension of the waste drain outlet.

In another aspect the present invention provides an anti-overflow toiletcomprising a tank for holding flushwater, a distribution manifold forreceiving the flushwater from the tank, a rim conduit and a jet feedcoupled to the distribution manifold, the jet feed having a jet feedoutlet, a bowl in fluid communication with the rim conduit and the jetfeed for receiving flushwater therethrough, the bowl having a wastedrain outlet in proximity to the jet feed outlet, and an overflowconduit fluidly coupled within the jet feed, wherein if the waste drainoutlet is blocked, the flushwater bypasses the waste drain outletthrough the overflow conduit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This and other features and advantages of the present invention willbecome better understood with regard to the following description,appended claims, and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an anti-overflow toilet havingan overflow conduit in accordance with the concepts of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the anti-overflow toilet in accordance withthe concepts of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the anti-overflow toilet inaccordance with the concepts of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of an alternative anti-overflowtoilet having an overflow conduit in accordance with the concepts of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An anti-overflow toilet is generally referred to by numeral 10, as shownin FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings. Specifically, the toilet 10 includes aflushwater storage tank 20 that is configured to receive flushwater froma water main 30 or any other suitable water source. The flushwaterstorage tank 20 is in fluid communication with a bowl 40 via adistribution plenum or manifold 70 that serves to distribute flushwaterto separate structures that include both a rim conduit 80 and a jet feedconduit or jet feed 90. The rim conduit 80 delivers flushwater throughrim ports 100 that circumscribe or at least partially circumscribes theperiphery of an upper section 92 of the bowl 40. In addition to the rimconduit 80, the jet feed conduit 90 also delivers flushwater to a siphonor jet outlet port 110 that is disposed in a lower section 112 of thebowl 40 at a point that is below the normal resting flushwater level,denoted as “L” in FIG. 1, that is present in the bowl 40 prior to itsbeing flushed. That is, the jet feed conduit 90 is configured with a jetinlet 120 that is in fluid communication with the structurally separatedistribution manifold 70. In other words, the distribution manifold 70supplies flushwater to both the jet inlet port 120 and the rim conduit80. Furthermore, the jet feed conduit 90 extends from the jet inlet port120 to the jet outlet port 110, such that the inlet port 120 is higherthan the jet outlet port 110. Moreover, the jet feed conduit 90 mayextend from the inlet port 120 to the jet outlet port 110 at any desiredslope or angle. In addition, the rim conduit 80 is configured with a riminlet 122 that is in fluid communication with the distributionalmanifold 70. As such, because flushwater is delivered simultaneously toboth the rim ports 100 and to the jet outlet port 110 via the respectiverim conduit 80 and jet feed conduit 90 when the toilet 10 is flushed,the toilet 10 is referred to as a parallel flush-type toilet. In otherwords, the flushwater flows in two paths from the storage tank 20 intothe bowl 40. The first path is from the tank 20 into the plenum 70,through the rim inlet 122 into the conduit 80 and then out the rim ports100 into the bowl 40. The second path is from the tank 20 into theplenum 70, into the jet inlet port 120 through the jet feed 90 to thejet outlet port 110 and into the bowl 40.

To control the flow of flushwater from the tank 20 into the distributionmanifold 70 for routing to the rim conduit 80 and to the jet feedconduit 90 is a valve 130, such as a flapper valve. The position of thevalve 130 is controlled by an actuator 140, such as a lever or any othersuitable mechanical or electromechanical device, that is carried on theoutside of the tank 20 and operatively coupled to the valve 130. Thus,when the valve 130 is in its normal resting state, or otherwise closed,the flushwater is stored in the tank 20 and is prevented from enteringthe distribution manifold 70, and as such, prevented from ultimatelyflowing into the rim conduit 80 and the jet feed conduit 90.Alternatively, when the valve 130 is moved from its normal restingstate, and placed into an open state, as shown in FIG. 1, to commence aflush of the toilet bowl 40, the stored flushwater is released from thetank 20 into the distribution manifold 70, whereupon the flushwater ispermitted to flow into each of the rim conduit 80 and the jet feedconduit 90, so as to fill the toilet bowl 40 via the respective rimports 100 and jet outlet port 110 in fluid communication therewith.

In order to evacuate the flushwater and waste that collects in the bowl40 when the toilet 10 is flushed, a waste drain outlet 200 is providedin the bowl 40. The waste drain outlet 200 is disposed in the bowl 40 ata position that is substantially opposite to that of the jet outlet port110 of the jet feed conduit 90 and is dimensioned to receive theflushwater and waste material carried within the bowl 40. In addition,the waste drain outlet 200 is in fluid communication with a waste trap210 that is also in fluid communication with a septic, sewer, or othersanitary waste-removal conduit via a main drain outlet 230. Thus, whenthe toilet 10 is flushed, the flushwater carries the waste material intothe waste drain outlet 200, where the waste material moves through thewaste trap 210, and passes through the main drain outlet 230 that is influid communication with a septic, sewer, or other sanitary wasteremoval conduit. In addition, the waste drain trap 210 also serves toallow the bowl 40 to refill to its normal resting flushwater level “L”,shown in FIG. 1, after it has been flushed, so that the toilet 10 isready for future use. As such, the jet outlet port 110 and the wastedrain outlet 200 are configured so that they normally remain below thenormal resting flushwater level “L”.

To prevent the toilet 10 from overflowing with flushwater, the toilet 10also includes an overflow conduit 300 having an overflow inlet 310 andan overflow outlet 320. In one aspect, the overflow conduit 300 may alsoinclude an angled joint 340 that is disposed between the overflow inlet310 and overflow outlet 320, so as to divide the overflow conduit 300into an inlet conduit section 330 and an outlet conduit section 332.That is, the joint 340 may be configured to have a bend, whereby theinlet and outlet conduit sections 330,332 are oriented at asubstantially acute angle to each other. However, it should beappreciated that the joint 340 may be configured to take on any othersuitable angle. Moreover, the inlet conduit section 330 may extend fromthe overflow inlet 310 to the joint 340 at a substantially right angle,while the outlet conduit section 332 may extend from the overflow outlet320 to the joint 340 at an angle. Furthermore, the joint 340 may bepositioned above the overflow inlet 310 and the overflow outlet 320, andmay serve to define the normal resting water level “L” within the bowl40.

Continuing, the overflow inlet 310 is fluidly coupled within the jetfeed conduit 90. In one aspect, the overflow inlet 310 may be positionedwithin the jet feed conduit 90 at a point proximate to the jet outletport 110. As such, during a flush cycle the flushwater is directed fromthe jet feed conduit 90 toward the drain outlet 200 until such time thata clog develops. When a clog does develop, flushwater then enters theoverflow inlet and passes through the overflow conduit 300. The overflowoutlet 320 is fluidly coupled to the main drain outlet 230 associatedwith the waste drain outlet 200 that is below the waste trap 210. Assuch, the overflow outlet 320 is integral and combined with the maindrain outlet 230, so as to form a master drain outlet 400 that isfluidly coupled to a sewer, septic, or other sewage-treatment facility.

It should also be appreciated, that the cross-sectional dimension of thejet feed conduit 90 and/or jet outlet port 110 is substantially smallerthan the cross-sectional dimension of the waste drain outlet 200. Forexample, the cross-sectional dimension of the jet feed conduit 90 and/orjet outlet port 110 may be ¼ to ½ of the cross-sectional dimension ofthe waste drain outlet 200; however, any other suitable dimension orratio may be used. In one aspect, the overflow inlet 310 may be locatedat a position that is equal to or higher than the jet outlet port 110.Such dimension of the jet feed conduit 90 and/or jet outlet port 110serves to prevent solid waste material present in the bowl 40 frombacking up into the jet outlet port 110/jet feed conduit 90 and cloggingthe overflow inlet 310 when the toilet 10 is used.

Thus, when the toilet 10 is flushed and the waste drain outlet 200 orwaste trap 210 becomes clogged, flushwater enters the bowl 40 via thejet outlet port 110 from the jet feed conduit 90 and the rim ports 100.As the level of the flushwater rises in the bowl 40 because of the clog,the flushwater enters the jet feed conduit 90 via the jet outlet port110. The excess flushwater then enters the overflow inlet 310 of theoverflow conduit 300, where the excess flushwater passes around thejoint 340 and out of the overflow outlet 320. Upon reaching the overflowoutlet 320, the excess flushwater enters the master drain outlet 400,where it is routed to a sewer, septic, or other sewage treatment system,away from the toilet 10. As a result, the toilet bowl 40 is preventedfrom being overflowed with flushwater.

It should also be appreciated the anti-overflow features of the overflowconduit 300 discussed above with regard to toilet 10, may beincorporated in an alternative toilet 10′, shown in FIG. 4 of thedrawings. The alternative toilet 10′, referred to as a series flush-typetoilet, is configured such that jet feed conduit 90 does not directlydeliver flushwater from the distributional manifold 70 to the jet outlet110, as in toilet 10. Rather, the toilet 10′ is configured so that thejet feed conduit, designated as 90′, is in direct fluid communicationwith the rim conduit 80 via the jet inlet 120′. As such, the toilet 10′is configured so that when it is flushed, flushwater is delivered firstto the rim conduit 80 for delivery to the rim ports 100, and thensubsequently to the jet feed conduit 90′ for delivery to the jet outlet110. Thus, the flushwater follows a series flow path from the rimconduit 80 to the jet feed conduit 90′ for delivery to the bowl 40.

In one aspect, it should be appreciated that the overflow conduit 300and the jet feed conduit 90 of toilet 10 may be on separate sides of thebody of the toilet. Furthermore, the overflow conduit 300 may beutilized in the toilets 10 and 10′ in a redundant manner, whereby two ormore overflow conduits are provided therein.

Therefore, one advantage of the present invention is that ananti-overflow toilet includes an overflow conduit with an overflow inletpositioned within a jet feed conduit that delivers flushwater to a bowlfrom a tank, so as to drain excess flushwater out of the bowl. Anotheradvantage of the present invention is that an anti-overflow toiletprovides an overflow conduit that includes an angled joint to define thenormal water level within the toilet bowl. Still another advantage ofthe present invention is that an anti-overflow toilet includes anoverflow conduit that is positioned externally or made integral with thebody of the toilet. Yet another advantage of the present invention isthat an anti-overflow toilet includes a jet feed conduit/outlet porthaving a dimension that restricts solid waste from entering therein, soas to prevent the clogging of an overflow inlet disposed within the jetfeed conduit by solid waste material within the bowl.

Thus, it can be seen that the objects of the invention have beensatisfied by the structure and its method for use presented above. Whilein accordance with the Patent Statutes, only the best mode and preferredembodiment has been presented and described in detail, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby.Accordingly, for an appreciation of the true scope and breadth of theinvention, reference should be made to the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An anti-overflow toilet comprising: a tankadapted to receive flushwater from a water source; a bowl containing adistribution manifold, said distribution manifold configured to receivethe flushwater from said tank; a valve to selectively control the flowof flushwater from said tank into said distribution manifold; a jet feedconduit either in direct fluid communication with said distributionmanifold or indirect fluid communication thru a rim conduit first thensaid distribution manifold, said jet feed conduit having a jet outletport disposed in said bowl to deliver flushwater thereto; a waste drainoutlet disposed in said bowl to remove the flushwater from said bowl;and an overflow conduit having an overflow inlet and an overflow outlet,said overflow inlet disposed in said jet feed conduit; wherein when saidwaste drain outlet is blocked, excess flushwater in said bowl is routedthrough said jet feed conduit, into said overflow inlet, and out of saidoverflow outlet.
 2. The anti-overflow toilet of claim 1, wherein saidoverflow conduit further comprises an angled joint disposed between saidoverflow inlet and said overflow outlet.
 3. The anti-overflow toilet ofclaim 2, wherein said angled joint separates said overflow conduit intoa first section and a second section, such that said first sectionextends from said overflow inlet to said joint, and said second sectionextends from said joint to said overflow outlet, wherein said firstsection extends from said overflow inlet to said joint at asubstantially right angle, and said second section extends from saidoverflow inlet to said joint at an angle.
 4. The anti-overflow toilet ofclaim 3, wherein said first section and said second section areseparated from each other at said angled joint by an acute angle.
 5. Theanti-overflow toilet of claim 1, wherein said waste drain outlet furthercomprises a waste trap.
 6. The anti-overflow toilet of claim 1, whereinsaid overflow outlet is integral with said waste trap.
 7. The toilet ofclaim 1, wherein said overflow conduit is integral with said bowl. 8.The anti-overflow toilet of claim 1, further comprising a rim conduitthat at least partially circumscribes said bowl, said rim conduit influid communication with said distribution manifold, so as to deliverflushwater to said bowl through at least one rim port disposed in saidbowl.
 9. The anti-overflow toilet of claim 1, wherein thecross-sectional dimension of said jet outlet port is smaller than thecross-sectional dimension of said waste drain outlet.
 10. Theanti-overflow toilet of claim 1, wherein said jet feed conduit extendsfrom said distribution manifold at an incline, such that said overflowinlet is positioned higher than said jet outlet port.
 11. Theanti-overflow toilet of claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional dimensionof said jet feed conduit is smaller than the cross-sectional dimensionof said waste drain outlet.
 12. An anti-overflow toilet comprising: atank for holding flushwater; a distribution manifold for receiving theflushwater from said tank; a rim conduit and a jet feed coupled to saiddistribution manifold, said jet feed having a jet feed outlet; a bowl influid communication with said rim conduit and said jet feed forreceiving flushwater therethrough, said bowl having a waste drain outletin proximity to said jet feed outlet; and an overflow conduit fluidlycoupled within said jet feed, wherein if said waste drain outlet isblocked, the flushwater bypasses said waste drain outlet through saidoverflow conduit.
 13. The anti-overflow toilet according to claim 12,wherein said distribution manifold comprises: a rim inlet contiguouswith said rim conduit to deliver a portion of the flushwater about anupper periphery of said bowl; and a jet inlet port contiguous with saidjet feed to deliver another portion of the flushwater to said jet feedoutlet.
 14. The anti-overflow outlet toilet according to claim 12,wherein said rim conduit delivers the flushwater to said jet feed.